Growing a Miracle

OMG, in less than 70 days, I’m going to have a baby! A BABY! I can’t believe it!

Other than my announcement of the big news with this piñata cake a while back and a few mentions here and there, I haven’t really talked much about my pregnancy. So, I wanted to take a minute (or more like 15) and share this crazy, amazing journey of mine, from the very beginning… Grab a cup of coffee, or tea, or glass of wine (for me) and get yourself comfy. It’s going to be a long read.

So, back in April, I had just planned out a busy summer, filled with trips to my first food blogging conferences and my annual vacation to Mongolia. Oh, it was going to be a busy, busy summer. I was super excited to meet fellow food bloggers and to see my family, but I had no idea how much more exciting it was going to get!

In preparation for my upcoming trips, I was hustling in the kitchen to prepare bunch of recipes to share with you during my trips. I worked non-stop for over a month, testing and retesting new recipes, taste-testing and photographing.

And at the beginning of May, I was extremely exhausted, but I brushed it off that I just overworked myself. But for some other reasons, I kind of suspected something was off. So when my husband went to town one day, I asked him to grab couple different tests. Well, when we tried them, both tests left us completely confused. One test was supposed to show 2 red lines for positive. We got one bright red and the second line was faint. We moved onto the other test. This one was supposed to show a blue plus sign. Again, we got one bright horizontal blue line, and very faint blue vertical line. We were baffled, seems like both tests show positive, but not really. Deep down we both knew though. Garrat got extremely excited, and his eyes were filled with such a joy, mine, on other hand, filled with tears. Tears of fear, I guess. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy, but I was also terrified at the same time!

Anyway, I immediately called my doctor. They ordered 2 blood tests 48 hours apart. I went in for the first test right away that afternoon. And while I was getting ready for the next one 2 days later, the nurse called me and said that there is no need to get the 2nd test, cuz I was definitely pregnant! At this point, I was beyond excited, jumping up and down, like a mad person.

I knew I wanted kids of my own one day, but it was never a right time. There was always something needed to be done, you know. One of the most important things on my bucket list before kids was to visit Paris, to see Eiffel Tower, to walk around London, to eat through Italy. In short, I wanted to see a glimpse of Europe before I settle down! Earlier this year, Garrat made my dream come true. We had a blast in London, Paris and Rome. And I was content to settle down and start a family! Finally!!

And 2 months later, BOOM! We got pregnant! I honestly didn’t think it’d happen so soon. But now I can’t imagine it any other way. We’ll meet our little miracle in just over 2 months now!! #pinchme

1st Trimester: I didn’t really have terrible morning sickness, but I was extremely exhausted all the time and a little bit queasy from time to time. To tame the queasiness, I just had to munch on something frequently, which wasn’t a problem when I was at Indulge food blogger conference in Portland, OR. The trip was packed with amazing food all day every day. The only downside was I missed out on all sorts of unpasteurized apple and pear ciders, hard ciders, wine tasting and oysters! (I’ll be back, Portland!)

On my way home from Portland, I spent a night at the Denver airport due to a cancelled flight. Ugh, that was the biggest nightmare. When I was feeling queasy, exhausted and nothing sounded good, sour gummy bears came to my rescue!! I inhaled the entire bag, and I immediately felt better, both physically and emotionally! It was the roughest time during my entire pregnancy so far, and it took me 2 days to recover from that sleepless night, just in time for my trip to Mongolia. When I was in Mongolia though, I was spoiled with my mom’s cooking and pampering. I had no desire (nor energy) to go out and hang out with my friends, so I just stayed home eating and napping. It was a bliss!

Surprising side effects of the 1st trimester: 1. Chocolate didn’t taste as amazing as it used to. I’d eat some and it’ll be just meh. So weird! 2. I also was absolutely not interested in reading, doing anything on the computer, watching TV. Most of the things irritated me. At the time, Garrat and I were watching Mad Man, and I literally couldn’t handle their drinking and smoking. So we had to take a break. 3. Writing blog posts was a torture. Though I had recipes to share, I had no desire to write about them. Yeah, that’s why I was posting so infrequently and my posts from June/July are shorter than usual. Oops!

2nd Trimester: Well, just as soon as I hit 2nd trimester, everything went back to normal. Well, almost. I’d get tired pretty fast, but I was back to my normal self. I started enjoying chocolate again. I started reading other blogs, and writing blog posts weren’t so hard anymore.

Cravings: I was sooooo into fried food at this time. Like fried chicken, French fries, curly fries, just anything deep-fried, I wanted them all!! Oh and soda!! I usually don’t drink soda on daily basis, but I needed it daily, usually just a few sips. Again weird!! I’m so glad it went away now, and I hope it won’t be back later.

August 26th was an exciting day for us! We were about to find out the gender of our little nugget! Did I have a gender preference? Yes, I did. For as long as I remember, I always wanted a girl. I grew up with 3 sisters. I feel like I know everything about girls, but nothing about boys. They’re mystery to me. BUT I knew I’d be happy either way, just as long as my baby is healthy. At the ultrasound, it was pretty obvious that we were having a boy! After the appointment, hubs and I went to the store and bought his very first set of onesies! Aren’t those just adorable??

3rd Trimester: Now that I’m in my last trimester, things are getting a little challenging. My belly is ginormous. I can’t put my socks and shoes on without going out of breath. Lower back pain is a real thing now, especially if I spend a day in the kitchen working on recipes. However, practicing yoga has been extremely helpful! I do this and this pretty much every day. I love how I feel after a good stretch/yoga session.

Cravings: I don’t really have any bizarre cravings, or any craving for that matter, but I sure do have a great appetite!

My favorite part of the pregnancy is baby movement. My little boy is so active, and I love watching wave-like movements on my belly. Reading a book in the evening goes like this: read a sentence and stare at my belly for 2 minutes, resume reading another sentence and back to staring at the belly. I also love tapping on my belly, and baby will respond back to me. So surreal, yet so real! I always wondered if it hurts when baby moves in the womb, but now I can tell you, it doesn’t. It’s such an awesome sensation, but nothing painful. At least, that’s my experience so far.

What I miss from pre-pregnancy: wine and raw oysters! I’m usually more of a red wine person, but for some odd reason, I just want a glass of chilled crisp white wine.

Time is going by so, so fast. I hear that the last month usually drags on forever, and I sure hope it does. This journey has been incredibly easy, fun and, most importantly, healthy! I hope it stays this way for the next 2 months!

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18 comments

Pregnancy is such an incredible experience! It sounds like you’re enjoying this special time, and that you’re (hopefully) not too uncomfortable. I had a baby this past April (he’s 7 months now), and it goes by so quickly! Good luck on your next couple months 🙂

Andrea, congratulations! It sounds like you’ve passed the hardest first 3 months, and enjoying your baby toddler. As I get closer to meet my little nugget, things are getting more and more uncomfortable, but nothing too bad. 😉 Thanks for stopping by and reading my story.

Awww what a fantastic post!!! I was suuuuper exhausted when I was in my first trimester too and I was queazy all the time!! All that helped was CARBS! So that’s what I did!!! As difficult as pregnancy was…it was also so special 🙂 My little girl was a mover too and she so tall…her right arm or leg was permenently wedged in my rib to the point that the area went numb from 2nd trimester on 🙂 Enjoy the rest of the time! The munchkin will be here before you know it!

Aww I am so happy and excited for you, Shinee! Babies are beautiful, miraculous gifts <3 So fun to read about your journey thus far, and I can just imagine how much fun it was to shop for the baby after the appt – baby clothes are the best!! <3

Thank you Shinee. I really enjoyed reading this post and the silhouette picture is beautiful. You have a wonderful husband and your little boy is a very blessed soul to have you and Garrat as his parents. Enjoy the last two months – your little “nugget” will be here before you know it.

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Shinee. Here on my blog, I’m committed to making made-from-scratch gourmet easy and approachable. My detailed tips and step-by-step photos make each recipe easy to recreate and are sure to impress at any occasion.